| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, When the Vietnam War ended with the fall of Saigon in |
|
|
1975, a large number of Vietnamese refugees, including former |
|
|
military personnel, government officials, and those who had worked |
|
|
with the United States during the war, immigrated to surrounding |
|
|
areas and to America; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, From the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, thousands of |
|
|
Vietnamese risked their lives by fleeing Vietnam aboard small |
|
|
wooden boats; approximately half of these emigrants perished at |
|
|
sea, but others reached refugee camps in Thailand, Malaysia, |
|
|
Indonesia, the Philippines, and Hong Kong; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Many Vietnamese who came to the United States chose |
|
|
to settle in the metropolitan areas and coastal regions of Texas; |
|
|
these first-generation Vietnamese Americans worked hard and |
|
|
flourished here, and now the state is home to the second-largest |
|
|
Vietnamese population in the United States, with almost 400,000 |
|
|
residents, nearly half of whom live in the Houston-Sugar |
|
|
Land-Baytown area; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Vietnamese Americans have fully embraced all of the |
|
|
democratic principles for which the United States stands, including |
|
|
human rights, religious freedom, freedom of speech, and protection |
|
|
against threats of aggression; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Vietnamese Americans have denied the authority of |
|
|
the Vietnamese Communist Flag and pushed for governments to |
|
|
officially recognize the Vietnamese Heritage and Freedom Flag, |
|
|
which symbolizes both the Vietnamese cultural heritage and a deeply |
|
|
rooted resilience and yearning for democracy; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Vietnamese Americans strongly support education, |
|
|
and their children are graduating from high schools and higher |
|
|
education institutions at high rates; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The Lone Star State has benefited enormously from |
|
|
the contributions of its Vietnamese American residents; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The Vietnamese American community plays a vital role |
|
|
in the business, professional, and cultural life not only of the |
|
|
Lone Star State but also of the country; the number of small |
|
|
businesses owned by Vietnamese Americans has grown substantially, |
|
|
and these firms have created more than 200,000 jobs nationwide, |
|
|
adding billions of dollars to the economy; in addition, Vietnamese |
|
|
Americans contribute to their communities in a myriad of ways, as |
|
|
teachers, lawyers, writers, actors, doctors, mayors, judges, and |
|
|
public servants; among the many Vietnamese Americans who have led |
|
|
notable careers are astronaut Eugene H. Trinh, former Dallas Cowboy |
|
|
Dat Nguyen, and scientist Nguyet Anh Duong, who developed the |
|
|
thermobaric weapon, which has been vital to U.S. military efforts; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, For many decades, people of Vietnamese descent have |
|
|
excelled in our society and economy, enriched our cultural |
|
|
tapestry, and helped enhance and secure the Lone Star State's |
|
|
reputation as a land of promise and possibility; now, therefore, be |
|
|
it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby recognize March 30, 2017, as Vietnamese American |
|
|
Day at the State Capitol and extend to each participant best wishes |
|
|
for an informative and enjoyable day in Austin. |